Unpublished Paper
Conceptual and Metrical Evidence for the Personification of Wisdom in James 1 and 3
(2018)
Abstract
Both James 1:14-15’s Desire (Epithymia) and 1:18’s Truth (Alētheia) are personified maternal entities inspired respectively by Proverbs’ Lady Folly and Lady Wisdom. That James 1’s Desire and Truth are anticipations of James 3:15’s demonic Wisdom and 3:17’s Wisdom from above is arguably indicated by a similar distinctive meter shared by 1:15 and 3:15, 17. James 3.15-17 is also immediately preceded at v. 14’s conclusion by a mention of alētheia, which links the text back to 1:18, the epistle’s only previous occurrence of alētheia. The paper also suggests that James 1:14ff. and 1:25 are engaged polemically with the type of Pauline doctrine encountered in Rom 7 and 2 Cor 3 respectively.
Keywords
- James,
- Lady Folly,
- Lady Wisdom
Disciplines
Publication Date
Spring 2018
Citation Information
Keith L. Yoder and Samuel Zinner. "Conceptual and Metrical Evidence for the Personification of Wisdom in James 1 and 3" (2018) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/klyoder/37/